David J. Roof, Ph.D., is Professor of Educational Studies and Director of the Center for Economic and Civic Learning at Ball State University.
His research examines how educational institutions cultivate civic agency—the knowledge, judgment, relationships, and opportunities that enable people to participate meaningfully in democratic life. Through community-engaged and school-based research, he studies civic learning and participation, teacher education, educational policy, and the institutional conditions that expand or constrain civic opportunity. His current work focuses on how sustained school-university partnerships and professional learning networks can strengthen civic teaching and student participation at scale.
David is the principal investigator of CREATE250: Expanding the Civic Promise for All, a $1.76 million initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Education. CREATE250 supports a statewide network of K–12 educators, with particular attention to schools serving historically underserved communities, and develops civic-learning experiences connected to America’s Semiquincentennial. He previously led CREATE—Civic Renewal through Education for Agency, Tolerance, and Engagement—a $1.65 million initiative that integrated American history, geography, government, and media literacy through sustained partnerships with schools and educators.
He also leads Cultivating Civic Character for the Common Good, supported by the Educating Character Initiative at Wake Forest University. The project connects civic learning, ethical reflection, character formation, and community engagement across Ball State’s curriculum and co-curricular programs. Roof developed Ball State’s interdisciplinary Civic Studies Minor and serves as campus director of the American Democracy Project.
David's scholarship connects research, policy, and public practice. His recent work addresses civic education in Indiana, dialogue and deliberation, voting and political participation, teacher preparation, and the civic experiences of college students. He contributed the voting and voter-registration analysis for the 2025 Indiana Civic Health Index and coauthored Bridging the Gap: Awareness, Participation, and the Conditions of Student Civic Engagement in Indiana Higher Education. He has also helped lead Ball State’s nonpartisan democratic-engagement planning and Cardinals Vote!, a campus-community initiative supporting informed and nonpartisan participation.
His international scholarship and professional work examine educational development, democratic participation, and institutional reconstruction in Central and South Asia and Africa. He has directed U.S. Department of State-supported initiatives involving Afghanistan and Uzbekistan and contributed to educational projects in Pakistan, Cameroon, Ghana, and South Africa.
David earned his Ph.D. and M.Ed. in Educational Policy Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and his B.S. in Education from New Mexico State University.
Research Areas
- Civic education, civic agency, and democratic participation
- Civic reasoning, dialogue, and deliberation
- Social studies education and teacher preparation
- Community-engaged research and school–university partnerships
- Educational policy and institutional change
- International and comparative education
Current Positions
- Professor, Department of Educational Studies, 2026–Present
- Director, Center for Economic and Civic Learning, 2022–Present
- Campus Director, American Democracy Project, 2025–Present
Selected Current Appointments
- Advisory Committee on Civics Education and Engagement, Indiana Chamber of Commerce
- Civics and Democracy Speakers Bureau, Indiana Humanities
- National Screening Committee, Fulbright U.S. Student Program
- Specialist, Varieties of Democracy Institute, University of Gothenburg
- Indiana Civic Education Committee
- Mentor, Campus Compact Newman Civic Fellowship
Select Publications
Roof, David J. 2026. “Civic Education in Indiana: People, Policies, and Purpose.” Journal of Political Science Studies 1, Article 2. https://scholar.valpo.edu/jpss/vol1/iss1/2/
Roof, David J., and Sarah M. Surak. 2025. “To Practice Democracy Anew: K–12 Civic Learning in Uncertain Times.” The Good Society 34, no. 1: 1–8. https://doi.org/10.5325/goodsociety.34.1.0001.
Ndemanu, Michael T., and David J. Roof. 2025. “Unearthing Unrelenting Disenfranchisement of Black and Brown Voters: Preparing Adult Learners for Critical Consciousness and Political Resistance.” Dialogues in Social Justice 10, no. 1: 1–15.
Asher, Sunaina, and David J. Roof. 2025. “Navigating Barriers and Embracing Transformation: The Academic and Social Experiences of Bangladeshi Female Graduate Students in the United States.” Global Journal of Transformative Education 5: 65–76. https://doi.org/10.14434/gjte.v5i1.39845.
Roof, David J., and Sarah M. Surak. 2024. “Cultivating the Commons in Uncertain Times: Dialogue, Deliberation and Community in Higher Education and Our Democracy.” The Good Society 33, no. 1: 1–8. https://doi.org/10.5325/goodsociety.33.1.0001.
Throntveit, Trygve, David J. Roof, Anand R. Marri, and Ronald P. Mahurin. 2023. “Educating Undergraduates for American Democracy: The Third Way Civics Approach.” Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning 29, no. 2: 14–39. https://doi.org/10.3998/mjcsl.5139.
Select Public Scholarship
Bialko, Melissa, Alexis Peirce-Caudell, Christopher Cook, and David J. Roof. 2026. Bridging the Gap: Awareness, Participation, and the Conditions of Student Civic Engagement in Indiana Higher Education. Indianapolis: Community-Engaged Alliance. Authors listed alphabetically.
Roof, David J. 2026. “Voting and Voter Registration: A Mixed Story in Indiana.” In 2025 Indiana Civic Health Index, 9–14. Indianapolis: Indiana Bar Foundation.
Roof, David J. 2026. Ball State University Nonpartisan Democratic Engagement Action Plan. Developed for the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge.
Select Features and Media
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“More Than History: How TC’s David Roof Is Helping Shape the Next Generation of Engaged Citizens”, Ball State Teachers College, July 2, 2026
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“2025 Indiana Civic Health Index Shows Hoosiers Struggling with Voting and Social Engagement”, The Indiana Citizen, February 12, 2026
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“Ball State University Launches CREATE250 to Expand Civic Learning Across Indiana Title I Schools”, Ball State University, October 28, 2025
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“Ball State University Awarded Prestigious Grant to Cultivate Civic Character”, Ball State University, August 2025